Closer
by GB Freak1
Summary: To stalk: to pursue obsessively and to the point of harassment.  Juliet O’Hara is the victim of a stalker.  The problem is she doesn’t know who it is.  As the notes he leaves get creepier and creepier, she is pushed to the edge.  She finally confides in a
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Joys of Being Single, Not

Notes: It's funny where inspiration comes from. I was listening to a rather disturbing song, Closer by Nine Inch Nails and this story was born. So the title comes from there. This story will get increasingly darker, so be forewarned. Thanks to all my Psychfic friends for their help with this.

Juliet sighed as she waited for the coffee to finish brewing. She had to put on a fresh pot when she arrived at the station this morning. When it was done, she grabbed her mug and drank up the much needed caffeine. Last night had been fun, but she was going to be paying for it today. She had gone out on another date with Roger Nelson. He was a nice enough guy and fairly good looking. He was tall, about six feet, two inches, dark brown hair, with dark brown eyes. She liked the guy; he was definitely her type, and the kind of guy she should be falling for. He was also smart, had a decent sense of humor, responsible, had a respectable job as an accountant, but there was no spark, no chemistry. Frankly, he bored her to tears. His jokes weren't funny enough. His conversations were boring, and the dates were unimaginative. What happened to her? What was this standard that she was holding him to? Now was not the time to think about that and all the possible implications. She needed to dump him, well let him down easy. She hated that. What could she say? Sorry, you're great, but I'm no longer into boring guys. It's not you, it's me.

She pushed aside the thoughts about her love life when her partner, Carlton Lassiter arrived at his desk. She chuckled to herself when she was tempted to say, "Morning, Lassie." Instead she went with her usual, "Morning, Carlton."

He looked down at her as he set his coffee mug on the desk and took off his jacket. "O'Hara," he said and nodded slightly.

"It might just be a good day," she thought. She could just about judge her partners mood by how he responded to her morning greeting. Her name in any form meant, he was in a decent mood and it might be a good day. A grunt would be a rough one, but manageable. If he started ranting, she would find a place to hide for the first two hours until he calmed down. This theory would all be voided if a certain police consultant arrived any time before, well, any time that day.

She felt she knew her partner reasonably well, but his next words surprised her. "So, how was your date?" he asked. She looked at him like he'd just lost his mind. It was such an unCarlton-like thing to say.

"It was okay. Nothing spectacular," she answered.

"Well, they all can't be winners. Do you have the McGinty file?" She grinned. He was just trying to make conservation.

She searched through her pile of paperwork, "Yes, here it is."

He accepted it and sat down, "Thanks."

Around lunch time, their quiet work time was interrupted by, "Where are my two favorite detectives?" She tried very hard not to grin, but it was near impossible when she heard that voice, especially in that wise-ass tone.

Lassiter whispered, "Damn, there goes one good day."

As he approached their desks, she said, "Hi, Shawn."

"Jules, you're looking as lovely as ever. You too, Lassie. Love that tie."

"Spencer, what could you possibly want?" Lassiter asked.

"Gus is working at his other job, so I thought I'd see if you two were working on anything I could assist you on," before Carlton could interrupt, he continued, "and if not, let's do lunch. We never just hang out anymore." Sometimes, she just enjoyed watching the psychic talk, especially when he was trying to get a rise out of her partner. Other times it was annoying, but not today. He could be so annoying, but he was never boring. She shook away that thought.

"When did we ever hang out?" Lassiter said.

"That time in the bar," Shawn started.

"Shawn, the case load's fairly light right now, but lunch sounds," she stopped when she noticed Roger at the receptionist's desk with a bouquet of pink roses. She paled. She saw Shawn turn to see what had got her attention. He turned back toward her.

"You know him," he asked a combination of curiosity and was that jealously she heard. She ignored it. She needed to deal with one situation at a time.

"Umm, yes. We've gone out a couple of times. Excuse me," she said as she walked over to meet him. She saw Carlton smirking at Shawn's astonished look.

Then she heard, "Spencer, I am not going to lunch with you. Just leave."

Roger saw her approaching, "Juliet, I hope you don't mind me stopping by." He placed a hand on her shoulder and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "Oh, and these are for you," he said and held up the flowers as he bowed. She blushed at the hushed chuckling the move elicited. She didn't take the roses.

"Roger, this isn't the best time. It would have been better if you called first. Let's talk outside," she said as she grabbed his arm and moved him outside.

Once they were on the sidewalk outside the station, he said, "You're upset. I screwed up."

"Roger."

"It's just, I've never meet a girl like you before."

"Roger."

"So sweet, beautiful, and with a dangerous job."

"Roger, stop," she just about yelled. He looked her in the eyes.

"Sorry. Oh, these are for you," he said and handed her the flowers.

She chuckled, "Roger, thank you. The roses are lovely, but."

He smiled until she said but. "Oh no, here it comes."

"This is my place of business. I've worked really hard to get these guys to respect me," she said.

"And I came in and ruined all that."

"No, you didn't ruin it. I just, well, I try to keep my work life and my personal life as separate as possible," she said. Part of her brain yelled, "You keep thinking that."

"That makes sense. I am truly sorry, my lady," he said and kissed her hand. "Can I still interest you in having lunch with me?"

She sighed. It was now or never, might as well get it over with. "Roger, you're really a sweet guy, and any girl should be happy to date you."

"You're dumping me?" Roger said.

"I just don't think it would work out," she said, taken back by his rising tone.

"I make one mistake and that's it. It's over."

She was stunned by this sudden mood change and she felt more than a little uncomfortable when she heard the hostility in his voice.

"Is everything okay, Detective O'Hara?"

She turned to see Shawn standing behind her with an expression she never remembered seeing before, anger. "Yes, Mr. Spencer. We're fine. Roger was just leaving."

"Yes, I was," he said yanking the flowers from out of her hand. She turned back toward him stunned. When she saw Shawn take a step toward Roger, she put her hand on his chest to stop him.

"Let him go, I'm fine," she whispered to him. He growled as Roger stormed off.

"What a freaking jerk," Shawn said.

"Come on, I'll get my bag and you can treat me to lunch."

"If I treat, is it a date?" he asked with a smirk.

"Forget it, I'll treat," she said, but that got a bigger smirk. She laughed, "We'll buy our own lunches. No date."

"Fine, your loss," he said jokingly as they headed back inside.

Her lunch hour had been a blast and she thoroughly enjoyed it. They went to Shawn's favorite Jamaican restaurant for jerk chicken and Gus met them there. The three of them laughed, talked and joked all through it. Her favorite part was when Shawn made Gus explain his theory about alien intervention in the Egyptian pyramids. Gus smacked Shawn and told him to shut up. She got Gus to explain it to her anyway and she tried very hard not to laugh. She forgot all about the Roger fiasco thanks to the two of them. Afterwards, she drove Shawn back to the station to get his bike.

"Thanks. That was fun," she said as she headed up the stairs to go inside.

"Anytime, I mean that Jules, anytime. You're hungry at two a.m., all alone in your bed or the shower and you..." He stopped as she turned around and walked back down the steps.

"Why would I be in the shower at two a.m.?" she asked, pretending to be slightly annoyed.

"I don't know. That's where you are, when I, um forget it. Let's do this again some time, Jules," he said and jogged off to his motorcycle. She laughed and walked inside.

She entered the station in the middle of some sort of argument. No, it was a little one-sided, Lassiter ripping into a rookie. The rookie was about three inches shorter than Lassiter, with blond hair and a muscular build. He must have been with the new class because she didn't recognize him. Lassiter had a large coffee spot on his white dress shirt and the rookie looked paler than the white part of the shirt. "Did you even look to see where you were going, Miller?" Lassiter bellowed.

"Sir, I am so sorry. I swear I didn't mean to run into you. The Chief really needed that report right away," Miller mumbled. Juliet walked up to Lassiter.

"Carlton, you need to get some water on that stain if you want it to come out," she said gently. He stared at the rookie for a minute, and then looked at her.

"Yeah, you're right. Be careful next time, Miller," he said before he headed off to the bathroom.

"Ma'am, you are an angel. Thanks for the rescue," Miller said.

"You're welcome, Officer Miller," she said.

"Please call me, Cole. May I ask you your name?" he said politely. She was captivated by his blue eyes with the gold rim around the iris. He was probably about twenty years old, and he was trying to flirt with her.

"You can call me Detective Juliet O'Hara and you're welcome, Officer. Watch where you're walking next time, okay?"

"I will, Detective." She nodded and headed back to her desk.

Around five o'clock, Lassiter told her to pack it in for the night. She smiled, grabbed her purse, and headed out to her car. She stopped as she approached it. Stuck between the windshield wiper blade and the windshield was a pink rose and a note attached to it. She pulled out the flower to read the note, "You are pure, an untainted beauty. My passion burns only for you, sweet Juliet." She shook her head.

"That's odd," she said and she threw it in her car. She'd try to figure out who it was from when she got home. Soon the car was speeding off, with the driver not realizing that the person who left it there was still watching her.

He stood in the parking lot of the Santa Barbara Police Station, walking toward his car pretending he couldn't find his keys. It was good that no one paid attention to him much anyway. He ducked behind a large truck to gaze upon her lovely face. He watched as she fingered the rose and the note. Long blond hair flowed over the petite soft shoulders accenting an attractive slender figure. She was beautiful, pure, and untainted in a way he'd never seen before. Juliet O'Hara, even her name was beautiful. She was everything he'd ever wanted and she would be his, she just didn't know it yet. He would start letting her know how he felt, slowly, like this little gesture. Then she would grow to love him and they would be together. His Juliet. Forever.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Things are Getting Just a Bit Weirder

Notes: Thanks again to Raych K to her awesome ideas and her wonderful betaing skills. Thanks also to Suspension for all her help as well.

After an almost sleepless night, Juliet woke up as confused as when she went to bed. One question plagued her all night: who put that flower and note on her car? Someone that knew her car obviously. Her first thought was Shawn, but that just didn't seem like his style. He would have just given her the flower and said whatever charming thing that popped into his head. That note was just a bit too poetic to be from him. Another option was Roger. He did have the pink roses with him yesterday. Maybe he felt bad for the scene he caused and he seemed to possess the right amount of sap to write a note like that. He did say he studied literature for a while in college. It was probably him, but he was awfully mad when he left. The third more unsettling option was that it was an unknown person. Someone who knew about her, but she didn't know him or her. Well, she might know them from somewhere; however she didn't know that they liked her. She laughed at herself. It was just a silly secret admirer, no harm done. Although, the thought of this mysterious person knowing which car was hers, really bothered her. She'd have to have Carlton walk her to her car at night from now on. No, that was ridiculous. She was a police detective with a gun. She could handle a little crush.

To counteract the lack of sleep, she put on a pot of strong coffee. Wearing her robe, she went out to pick up the morning paper from the front stoop. The paper was typically folded in thirds and placed inside a plastic bag. She grabbed the plastic bag from its resting place on the front mat that said welcome with a little cat on it. Before heading back inside, she waved to her neighbor as he jogged by and returned inside. Tossing the paper on the kitchen table, she was greeted by two hungry cats mewing for their breakfast. "All right you two, I didn't forget you," she said and smiled. She feed the two animals, grabbed a cup of coffee and a banana, and sat down to read the paper. She pulled it out of the bag and opened it up. A small white envelope fell out. Her name was on the front. She was puzzled. She was on the automatic payment program. It couldn't be a bill. She opened the envelope. Another note in the same font as before, computer generated. "Dear Juliet, I pledge my undying adoration to you. It was startlingly quick that I fell for thee, but it can not be helped. I am weak and I throw myself at your feet. You are my untainted, pure, true love." She stared at the paper for a while. The horrible realization was starting to engulf her. This person knew where she lived too. She needed to look into these notes a little more today. She headed to the bathroom to get ready to go to the station. She quickly got dressed and spent the next twenty minutes in traffic due to an accident.

Juliet sat down at her desk in a huff. She pulled open her lower left desk drawer to put her purse away. The sight in the drawer made her freeze. There was a white rose in the drawer, but no note. She shivered and slowly reached down and pulled out the flower.

"What a beautiful rose." The voice made her jump and turn quickly. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Detective. I didn't mean to startle you." Cole Miller was standing at her desk with a cup of coffee. "Here, I brought you a cup of coffee to thank you for yesterday." She nodded at him and accepted the cup. "I didn't know how you liked it," he stopped when she downed the cup, "Okay, I guess it was good then. Are you okay?"

She looked up at him, "Yes, I'm fine. It was a bad night and a rough morning. Did you notice anyone around my desk this morning?"

"No, ma'am. I haven't seen anyone, but Detective Lassiter. He went down to the range. Well, I should go back to work," he started to walk away, but then turned back to her, "A white rose, doesn't that symbolize purity?"

She blinked for a second, "I think so."

"How romantic, you're a lucky lady. Well, have a great day, Detective O'Hara," he said and smiled.

"You too. Thanks for the coffee," she said. She tried to sound as cheerful as possible, but she couldn't quite shake the eerie feeling that was overwhelming her.

"Detective O'Hara," the Chief called from her office. Juliet stood and quickly entered the Chief's office.

"Yes, Chief," she said.

"I need you and Lassiter to escort Mark Gillian to the courthouse for his arraignment. This is a high profile case with lots of press coverage. Since you two brought him, I trust you to keep him custody and in one piece. I can't afford any screw-ups." Juliet nodded. Gillian was accused of running a small illegal firearm sales business. She and Lassiter had been the ones to arrest him. They knew that he was low on the food chain, but promised to name his bosses in exchange for immunity. It was the talk of the town.

"Sure, Chief. I'll go find Carlton and we'll get going," she said.

"O'Hara, are you okay? You look a little flustered," the Chief asked.

"No, I'm fine. Excuse me," she said and walked out to find her partner.

She walked into the firing range and quickly spied Carlton. She walked next to him and watched him shooting. He stopped and brought the target in. "That's how I should have started the day, shooting out my aggression," she said. He turned and looked at her.

"Having a bad morning, are we? I didn't think you had those," he said with a smirk.

"Ha, ha, very funny. The Chief wants us to escort Mark Gillian from holding to his arraignment," she said, looking around him as he examined the target sheet. "Nice grouping."

"Thanks. I need to get my hours in down here," he said glancing at her, "Why do we get to play bodyguards?"

"We brought him in and the Chief said this case is turning into a media circus. She doesn't want any screw-ups."

"Great," he said sarcastically, "All right, let's go. The only bright side is we probably won't see Spencer today."

As she followed him out the range door she thought, "Oh, that's supposed to be a good thing."

Escorting prisoners to the courthouse was not on her list of her most favorite things to do. She could think of a million other things she'd rather be doing. When they reached holding, Gillian was all ready shackled and waiting. "Lassiter and the lovely O'Hara, Santa Barbara's finest. Are you kids escorting me to the courthouse today?" Gillian asked.

"Shut up, Gillian and show the Detective some respect," Lassiter said as they lead the suspect from holding to the awaiting van. Sergeant Myers was waiting for them. Juliet sat up front with Myers. Gillian sat in the middle of the van and Lassiter was behind him. The ride to the courthouse was short and silent. The courthouse steps were jammed with reporters talking to the D.A. and Gillian's defense attorneys. Some photographers turned to get pictures of the van as it drove through the gates to the prisoner's entrance.

The van stopped as arrived at the entrance. Myers opened his door and started to walk around his side of the vehicle. Juliet jumped out and opened the back door. She reached for Gillian's arm to help him out. Her crystal blue eyes met his dark brown ones. "Juliet, so pure and so beautiful," he whispered to her. She froze. Was he the mysterious note sender? She stared at him and before she knew what was happening she felt his shoulder hitting her chest and knocking her backwards. All she could think was, "Not again."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Someone's Getting a Little Jumpy with Good Reason

Notes: The notes in this chapter come from the song Closer by NIN.

Lassiter yelled her name and she snapped back to reality. As soon as she hit the ground, she grabbed Gillian by the shoulders and flipped him on his back. She heard Myers say, "Whoa, she's good." Lassiter was quickly beside her, hauling the suspect to his feet.

"You try anything like that again, I'll make sure that little immunity deal you got goes away fast. You got me?" Lassiter growled at the shackled man.

Scared by the look in the detective's eyes and how quickly the petite woman had taken him down, Gillian just nodded and compiled with all their instructions. After getting Gillian into the courthouse, the rest of the morning consisted of mostly waiting around and then a trip back to the station. Carlton immediately took her into a conference room after they entered the station doors.

"You want to tell what that little spacing out thing was all about?" he said, "I thought after the last time, you learned your lesson."

"Honestly Carlton, I didn't sleep well last night. I think I'm coming down with something," she hated to lie, but he wouldn't understand why she was so freaked out. He seemed to examine her for a minute.

"Okay, well, get some rest tonight. Take a few days off if you need too. I need you at one hundred percent."

"I'll be fine. I'm sorry," she said and lowered her head.

"Hey, nice recovery after the fall. Go eat lunch," he said and walked out of the room.

She sat down in one of the chairs for a minute. These little notes were freaking her out more than she wanted to admit. She sighed and headed to her desk to check her voicemail. The first message was from her mom, asking how she was and telling her to call. The second made her shiver. It was Roger. "Hi, Juliet. This is Roger. I felt this compelling need to get down on my knees and beg for your forgiveness for my behavior yesterday. I hope your friend wasn't too mad at me. I promise I will do whatever it takes to repair this rift in our relationship. I really hope that you'll reconsider giving us another chance."

She hung up the receiver loudly and screamed "No" loudly in her head. Two hands falling softly on her shoulders caused her to practically jump out of her skin. She shrieked. "Whoa, Jules. Sorry," Shawn said quickly pulling his hands back. He moved the chair sideways and crouched down to be in her line of vision.

"I'm sorry. Long, bad day. What are you doing here?" she asked rapidly, trying hard to cover up her fear.

"I had a vision of you getting into some trouble at the courthouse. I wanted to make sure that you were okay," he said, the concern clearly evident in his eyes. Her stomach flipped for a minute at the compassion she saw. She smiled softly at him.

"You did? That's really…and you came here to check on me. Oh wow," she said. She dropped her head, fighting off tears.

"Hey, hey," he said softly as he lifted her chin with his index finger, "Let's go get some air. Have lunch outside in the beautiful California sun. Tacos on the beach? Whatta say, gorgeous?"

She couldn't help but smile at the amused look in his eyes. "People are going to start talking about us. This is two lunches in a row," she said with a small laugh.

"Ah, this place is too boring anyway. Let'em talk. Come on," he said standing up and taking her hand.

"Oh, hold on," she reached down and grabbed her purse. She saw another note sitting on top of it. She reached down to grabbed it and read it, "Juliet, your light draws me closer. Help make me perfect. Help me become somebody else." She paled slightly and grasped the handles of her purse.

"What's that?" Shawn asked.

"My grocery list, I forgot I need to pick up cat food," she said tossing the note inside. He looked at her closely for a second.

"Let's go," she said and he followed her out.

Lunch had been another extremely enjoyable experience. No Gus this time, just the two of them. They flirted like mad and she completely forgot all about, well everything. Shawn seemed to have this calming effect on her. For a fleeting second, she pondered the possibility that Shawn was the note writer. He had been showing up to the station just when she apparently needed him. Those thoughts fled her mind when her eyes met his. He wouldn't do something like this. He'd know it would bother her, but she knew he sensed something was bothering her, but he wasn't pushing. They parted ways back at the station again and she sat down at her desk.

"O'Hara," Lassiter called from the Chief's office. She entered the office, closed the door, and sat next to Lassiter in front of the Chief's desk. The pale complexion of the Chief's face had Juliet concerned. She sat a little straighter in her chair.

The Chief looked at her, "As you know Detective, Mark Gillian gave the District Attorney the information they discussed in the immunity deal. Then he was to go into protective custody. You and your partner returned him here and then the State Police were going to pick him up and take him to their safe house."

Juliet nodded, remembering the details of the plan.

"Mr. Gillian was found in the holding room with his throat cut," the Chief explained.

"What? How is that possible? There were officers watching. What about the cameras? Who could have gotten in?" Juliet asked in a rapid-fire manner.

Lassiter turned to her, "It looks like an inside job. Whoever did this was in and out in a matter of minutes. No one signed in or out. The whole computer system in that area experienced a glitch at conveniently the same time, which the cameras and the doors are controlled by."

"The officer on duty didn't see anything?" she asked.

Chief Vick shook her head, "No, he claims he was trying to reboot the system."

"But the doors, he would have had to let the person in," Juliet said confused.

"If they had a key, they could get in. That's the backup in case the computers go down," Lassiter explained.

"I don't have to tell the both of you how bad this makes us look. The D.A. is pissed. We will handle this internally. I want you both to interview Officer Stone. I have the tech boys check out the computer logs and see if the system was hacked into. Forensics is down there checking everything out. If you get nowhere by tomorrow, I want Spencer in on this," the Chief said and when Lassiter opened his mouth to protest, "Are we clear, Detective?"

"Yes, Chief," both of them answered. Juliet followed Lassiter down to the holding area and Officer Stone was in interrogation. Both Detectives entered the room. Juliet read Officer Stone's file on the way downstairs. He was in his early thirties and had been on the force for about nine years. He was a reliable officer, not a spot on his record.

"Officer Stone, I need to know what happened down here today," Lassiter said sitting at the table across from the officer. Juliet stood off to the side observing the man's body language. She could tell he was definitely nervous, but he was keeping eye contact.

Stone wrung his hands. "I put Gillian in the transportation room like the Chief instructed me. She said that the State Police would be collecting him. It was locked and the cameras were on. Jones was watching the outside door."

"What time did the computers crash?" Juliet asked him.

"Around noon," Stone said. "I called IT and I was talking with them. I told Jones to stay where he was."

"Did you call the Chief? Anyone upstairs?" Lassiter asked.

"Sir, I swear that the phone was in my hand to call and everything turned back on. I called and told the Sergeant that we had a glitch. Then I called Jones. I looked up to view the cameras and I saw Gillian slumped over. I ran down there and he was dead. I don't understand how it could have happened so fast."

"Who has access to the keys?" Lassiter asked.

"Anyone who does guard duty in holding. The Sergeant has the list," Stone said.

"And how long was the system down for?" Juliet asked.

"According to the log, five minutes." She nodded at Stone.

"Okay, you can go, Stone. This matter is still under investigation, so don't discuss it with anyone," Lassiter said and the Officer got up and left the room.

Juliet looked at Lassiter. "I don't think he had anything to do with it."

He drummed his fingers on the table, "What makes you so sure?"

"He was nervous, but he maintained good eye contact. He has a spotless record and we can verify with IT how long he was on the phone with them. Also, the Sergeant will have the time log of the call. It's all easy to collaborate," she said.

He nodded, "Exactly what I was thinking. I'll talk to the Sergeant and Jones. You talk to the IT guys. We won't have forensics until tomorrow. I hate to say this, but it is starting to look like we may need Spencer after all. This looks like an inside job. I'd rather have Spencer than the damn Internal Affairs people."

"He is starting to grow on you. I knew it," she said with a smile.

"If you tell him I said that, I'll deny it," Lassiter said and they both went off to their respective tasks.

The day ended at about eleven p.m. The Chief finally sent them home after they gathered everything they had. Tomorrow, they would bring Shawn and Gus in. The Chief had told them that the State Police would be getting involved as well. Whoever their killer was, he was fast, knew the layout, knew computers well, and had keys to access the area. That list should be easy to narrow down.

Juliet parked her car outside her townhouse and walked up to the door. She reached to put the key in the door and kicked a small package at her feet. This was getting out of hand. She bent down and picked it up. Entering the house, she threw her stuff down and placed the package down in the well-lit kitchen. Her cats greeted her mewing. She ignored them and examined the package. It was a small white box with a pink ribbon. She sighed, pulled off the ribbon, and opened the lid. She pulled out a ceramic flower. She placed the flower down and picked up the note. The note read, "Dearest love, This is a Lotus flower. It symbolizes purity and made me think of you and your radiant beauty. In your bedroom, you'll find another gift that you can wear when you thank me for what I did today." She dropped the note and ran to the bedroom.

Lying on her bed, she found a long silk white nightgown, neatly stretched out. He got into her home, inside her house. She wanted to scream, cry, or shoot someone. This had gone from a little crush to a full-blown stalker and she had no idea what to do about it.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: A Little Help from a Friend

Notes: I told Raych K about my idea for this crazy story and she told me about her idea for a scene. I suggested that she write it and she did. It's the scene between Jules and Shawn at the near the end of the chapter and I love how it fits. So thanks Raych K !

Being freaked out and not sleeping was getting old, fast. Juliet banged and stomped her way into the station. The gifts were completely unsettling and the cryptic note pushed her over the edge. "You can wear it when you thank me for what I did today." What did that mean? She was beginning to think that her stalker killed Gillian. How was that possible? How many people knew about what had happened? Was this person watching her all the time? She was really mad and unbelievably scared. This shouldn't be affecting her like this. She was a police detective, highly trained, not some scared little girl.

Throwing her stuff down on her desk in a huff, she looked up and her partner said, "You're late."

"Really, is that what it means when the big hand is on the six and the little hand is in between the nine and the ten?" she said sarcastically.

His mouth opened in shock at the harshness of her tone, but closed quickly. "Okay. The Chief wants us in her office in twenty minutes and the forensic reports are on your desk. I suggest you lose the attitude, O'Hara," he said getting up and walking away.

"Oh that was brilliant, Juliet," she said to herself. She opened her drawer slowly and was surprised that there was no note to greet her. She sighed and put her bag away. While opening the report, she walked over to get a cup of coffee. No prints, no DNA, nothing to link anyone to the crime. She closed the file in frustration and threw it down on the desk.

"Hey, what did that file do to you?" Shawn said happily as he approached her desk with Gus.

"Do you have to be so damn cheery all the time?" she spat out. Shawn stared at her in shock and Gus was taken aback as well.

"Did you and Lassie change bodies this morning?" She plopped down in her chair and rubbed her face with her hands.

"I'm so sorry," she said as Shawn leaned against her desk looking at her. "I haven't been sleeping and I feel terrible. The caffeine isn't working."

"I have some samples of sleeping aids that could help," Gus said.

"Oh, that's sweet Gus, really, but those always make me feel worse," she said.

"Spencer, Guster, O'Hara, the Chief want us in her office, now," Lassiter bellowed. Gus walked toward the office and Juliet got up and started walking when Shawn grabbed her arm lightly.

"Jules, seriously, are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," she said and looked up at his disbelieving eyes, "I promise. I'm just tired." She walked past him into the Chief's office. He followed.

The group spent the next thirty minutes talking through the case and discussing the list of possible suspects. Shawn requested to see the murder scene, but really didn't pick up on any clues. The murder of Mark Gillian had everyone stumped, which stressed the Chief out even more. After working most of the day tracking down dead ends, Lassiter sent Juliet home.

After arriving home to no new notes or gifts, Juliet sat in her kitchen rereading all the correspondence from her stalker. She pondered why today there had been no new notes. Did this mean he was planning on visiting her in person? That's when the noise made her blood run cold.

Juliet could hear footsteps. Someone was walking up the porch steps. Picking up her weapon, she quickly made her way to her door. She waited for the knock. When Juliet finally heard it, the quiet of the living room made it sound like gunfire. Juliet pulled the door open and aimed at the person standing on her front porch.

Shawn jumped back and slung his arms away from his body, the plastic grocery bag swinging violently with his movements. "Whoa! It's me!" He shouted, hoping Juliet wouldn't fire before she realized who was visiting.

"Oh, Shawn, I'm so sorry," she told him, engaging the safety on her gun and shoving it behind her back. "What are you doing here? It's ten o'clock at night!"

Shawn had never seen the junior detective look as frightened or frazzled as she did at that moment. "I brought some milk," he answered as though that should explain everything.

"What?" She asked and grinned.

"Milk, for warm milk, to help you sleep. You said you haven't been sleeping well. I thought it might help."

"Oh, Shawn, that was really nice of you, but– "she started only to be interrupted.

"But it's late," Shawn answered for her, then realizing his arms were still up, he slowly brought them back down.

"No, it's not that, I just really hate warm milk," she told him apologetically.

He smiled. "That's okay," he said holding up a second bag. "I brought pineapple ice cream, too. We can make shakes."

She laughed softly. She couldn't remember the last time she felt anything, but tension and fear. Oh right, when she had been with him. She stepped back from the door. "Okay, come in. You know, milkshakes might keep us up."

This time he pulled a DVD from behind his back. "I have the complete first season of Fraggle Rock."

Fraggle Rock was on the television and their milkshakes were nearly gone when Shawn finally asked, "So, are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"You're the psychic, why don't you tell me?" She said a little testily.

The look he gave her was one she'd only seen a few times since they had known each other. "Jules, what's bothering you? You've been freaked out for days," he said. "Maybe I can help?"

If he hadn't been so serious, if he had made a joke, she may have been able to shrug him off. Tell him, nothing's wrong, I'm just tired, but she couldn't. Not when he really seemed to be concerned. The tears she'd been holding back began to flow and she couldn't stop them, "I'm scared," she whispered, letting her hair fall forward into her face to block his view.

"Hey, hey. It's okay," he said. Shawn didn't miss the tears, it was his business to notice the details, but it was his nature to know when his friends were hurting. "What's going on, Jules?"

After he'd brushed her hair from Juliet's face and tucked it behind her ears, she looked up at him. She could trust him; Juliet decided and told him everything. She began with the first note and ended with the little gifts she'd found on her bed yesterday.

"We'll figure this out, Jules. Stalking is a crime, when you get to work tomorrow report it, so you have it on record," Shawn urged her.

"I don't want Lassiter to know, I can't report it." She stood to take their glasses back to the kitchen.

"What? Why? He's your partner." Shawn followed her. He noticed a manila folder on her kitchen table, but didn't say anything.

"I'm a cop, Shawn. A detective, I should be able to handle this, not break down crying. I shouldn't be too afraid to go to sleep!" She didn't want to snap at him, but the tension she'd been feeling for days was finally taking over.

Shawn grabbed her shoulders and gave her a small shake, "Listen to me. Yes, you are a cop and a great detective, but that's work, it isn't personal. This is. Whoever this creep is? He's made it personal. It's okay to be scared, but understand that you have friends who will do whatever it takes to keep you safe. Got it?"

Juliet nodded and he pulled her in to hug her. "Thank you, Shawn," she whispered into his chest.

"Everything's going to be okay. We will figure this out together. . . tomorrow. Tonight, we are going to make more shakes, then we are going to go finish watching Fraggle Rock, because, hey, Fraggle Rock." He felt her small laugh and pulled her toward the living room one arm over her shoulder. "Now, you relax while I go and get those shakes ready."

Once he was alone in the kitchen he started the blender and quickly glanced at the folder he'd seen earlier. Juliet had neatly compiled every note she had received. He glanced over them quickly, making note of the watermark, ink color, anything that might help him later. He noticed she had already dusted the notes for fingerprints, but apparently had come up empty.

"How're those shakes coming?" Shawn heard her call from the other room.

"Almost done," he yelled back. Reluctantly, he closed the folder and finished up in the kitchen.

When Shawn woke, it was still dark outside. A glance at the clock told him it was two a.m. The DVD main menu was still showing on the television and Juliet was asleep on the other end of the couch. He stood slowly and stretched, before pulling a blanket that had been thrown over the back of the couch and carefully covering the sleeping woman. He brushed a few stray strands of hair from her face, then turning made his way back to the kitchen and the folder.

The words of the notes infuriated him. Who the hell would scare the crap out of someone that they supposedly loved like this? This person was so going down. He stopped when he got to the last note. "In your bedroom, you'll find another gift that you can wear when you thank me for what I did today." Gillian was murdered on the same day he tried to hurt Juliet. The stalker killed Gillian. Shawn shivered slightly. The murderer was super smart, Shawn was certain of that. He hacked into the computer system to cause the glitch; he left no prints and committed a murder completely unseen. And he was potentially the same person stalking Juliet. Shawn rubbed his hand over his face. They needed to find this guy and fast.

He sat outside her house. Tonight was going to be the night she finally knew who had left her all the wonderful notes and cards. Then the damn psychic showed up. He slammed the steering wheel with his hand. This would not do, not at all. He could not let this kind of betrayal happen without repercussions. She had to be punished. He was the only one for her. He sat staring at the house, thinking. How could he get her attention?

Morning sun streaming in through the front windows of Juliet's living room is what woke her. She looked around briefly before remembering the night before and Shawn's impromptu Fraggle Rock marathon. She smiled at the feeling of relief knowing that Shawn would be helping her. And he was right; she was allowed to be scared. But she wouldn't let her fear control her, Juliet thought. That would be letting whoever this guy was control her.

Juliet sat up and nearly stepped on Shawn. He was asleep on the floor next to the couch with her cat nested by his feet. He'd stayed with her all night. This time she used the blanket to cover him and decided he deserved a good homemade breakfast. She walked into the kitchen and called Lassiter and the Chief to tell them that she was coming in late today.

She went out to grab the paper. There was a note on top of it. "What have you done, my sweet cherub? How could you betray me this way?" She stood there for a minute and went back inside to show Shawn.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Repercussions killed the, well I can't tell you that

She made pancakes from scratch. She smiled when her guest stumbled into the kitchen. His hair was pointing in more directions than it normally did. She saw him look down and watch her cat eat. "Thought you had two cats?" he asked as he stretched and winced.

"I do, Willy Mo is not too fond of strangers, but I am surprised that he is hiding through breakfast. He'll eat later. Sit and eat before your pancakes get cold."

He yawned and sat down. Mouth full of food he said, "Willy Mo? So, what's her name, Joe DiMaggio?"

"Willy Mo Pena plays for the Washington Nationals. I thought it was a fun name. She's Mookie. After Mookie Wilson, former New York Met. Naming pets after baseball players is an O'Hara tradition," she said and smiled. He grinned at her.

"Wow, that's like the coolest thing I've ever heard. Maybe you can teach Gus what ESPN is," he said. She poured him a cup of coffee and sat down to join him. He doctored up the mug with milk and sugar. He winced again when putting the milk down.

She smiled, "You didn't need to sleep on the floor, you know. You could have woken me up or just slept in the bedroom. But thanks so much for staying." She laid a hand on his wrist softly.

"You're welcome. And I don't think waking you up after you haven't been sleeping would have been smart. I like living. Jules, we need to talk about this stalker," he said seriously, finishing up his meal.

She sighed and pulled a slip of paper from out of her robe pocket, "Are you sure I should report it? I found another note with the paper."

He took the paper from her hand and she was surprised when his jaw clenched and his eyes turned darker. "He's watching you, he's been in your house. Jules, he's not going to stop. You're in danger, big time. I looked at your folder of notes. I'm getting this bad vibe that this guy killed Mark Gillian. Any ideas of who it could be?"

She grabbed his plate and walked over to the sink. She shook her head. "It couldn't be him. I'm not that bad a judge of character."

He joined her at the counter. "That doofus Roger from the other day?"

"Yes, but Shawn, I can't imagine he would do this. We went out a few times. He seems harmless. He's an accountant for pete's sake, " she said making eye contact with him.

"He was royally pissed that you dumped him. Who else?" He asked.

She looked away, "At first, I thought it might be you."

"Me? Whoa," he said and started to walk away. She could tell he was hurt.

She grabbed his upper arm before he could get too far. "Wait, I don't now. Not anymore. I thought that maybe in the beginning."

"Gee, Jules, give me some credit. I would never, ever do anything to scare you. You have to know that," he said seriously.

"It's just that you kept showing up, after weird stuff kept happening. I didn't know what to think."

He smiled at her and tapped his temple. "Psychic. The spirits told me that you needed a friend."

"Well, friend. I'm going to grab a shower and head to work to talk to Lassiter and Chief Vick," she told him.

"Need a hand in the shower."

"Shawn, behave."

"Killjoy. You could slip in there you know," he said raising his eyebrows playfully.

"Are you staying around?" She asked and was slightly embarrassed by the hopeful tone in her voice.

"I'll stay around till you leave for work. Then I need to run home and grab a shower."

About thirty minutes later, she came back into the living room to find Shawn watching the morning news. He put on his sneakers and had his jacket in his lap. She heard him talking to someone on his phone. "Gus, just bring the keys to the station, would you? Oh, you are very funny. Fine, I'll clean the car. Thank you," he said and hung up the phone.

"Loose your keys?" she asked, putting her things together for work.

"It's weird. I know I left them in my jacket pocket, but they're not there now. It makes no sense. Gus is going to bring my spare set to the station. Would you mind giving me a lift?"

"Not at all, it's the least I can do," she said, grabbing her keys and opening the front door. She stopped for a minute.

"What's wrong?"

"I didn't see Willy Mo in the bedroom," she said, slightly concerned, "but he seems to find a new place to hide every time I try to look for him."

"Could he be outside?" he asked.

"I keep them both inside. Less chance of them getting hurt that way. He'll be mewing at me when I get home I'm sure. Let's go. Carlton is probably all ready furious that I'm late," she said closing and locking the front door.

"Oh, then he'll love a little visit from me," Shawn said with a chuckle

He had arrived at the station bright and early. It had taken him the rest of the night to get his little package ready. It had to be perfect. Pristine white with the pretty pink bow, tied just perfectly. She'd learn not to cross him. Betrayal would not be tolerated. He watched the activity around her desk. There was no one around. He left the present perched in the middle to of her blotter. He quickly exited the area, so he wouldn't be seen.

It was nearly ten a.m. when Juliet and Shawn arrived at the station. Shawn plopped down in the seat next to Juliet's desk. Then he saw the box, he looked quickly at her. She looked at him. Both were feeling the same sense of dread.

"O'Hara, nice of you to join us today," Lassiter said as he walked back to his desk, "Oh and you brought him. Spencer, do you not change your clothes now?"

Shawn kept his eyes on Juliet when he answered, "Lassie, Juliet needs to talk to you about something."

Lassiter looked concerned at the serious tone of the psychic's voice and turned to view the pale face of his partner, who was staring at the small box on her desk. "O'Hara? Juliet? What it is?" He dropped the file he was holding on his desk. "O'Hara," he raised his voice.

Her head snapped up, "There is someone stalking me. Leaving me notes, and flowers. He broke into my house and left me gifts."

Anger was apparent on Lassiter's face. "Since when?"

"A couple of days ago," she said as her glaze went back to the box.

"You want me to open it?" Shawn asked quietly.

"No. I'll do it," she said pulling out plastic gloves from her desk drawer and putting them on. She reached a shaking hand out and pulling off the ribbon. She opened the top of the box. A note sat above the red satin lining the box and covering its contents. "This is what happens to bad kitties that don't obey their masters." She gasped slightly. Shawn stood up and walked to stand beside her. He saw the note.

"Don't open it, Jules. Let me, let Lassiter," he said rapidly. He looked to Lassiter for support. Lassiter had positioned himself at the side of her desk.

"I've got it, Shawn," she said and peeled back the tissue. The smell and the horror of what sat before them shocked them all. Juliet shrieked and put her hand to her mouth. Shawn swallowed down the bile that threatened to erupt and pulled her to him. She buried her face in his chest sobbing.

"It's okay. Don't look," Shawn soothed her.

Lassiter bellowed, "I need forensics up here, NOW!"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Breaking and Entering

Shawn and Juliet were sitting on the couch in the Chief's office as Lassiter was doling out orders in the squad room. Juliet was cuddled next to Shawn with his arm wrapped around her protectively. She was blowing her nose as the Chief and Lassiter came in and closed the door. The Chief sat at her desk and the head detective sat in a chair near the couch. Karen opened the folder that Juliet had given them containing the notes and leafed through them slowly.

"So, the first note was found on your car?" the Chief asked.

"Yes, with a pink rose," Juliet answered quietly.

"Which coincidentally, Roger Nelson had with him when he came to the station that day," Lassiter added.

"You're not getting any vibes, Mr. Spencer?" the Chief inquired.

Shawn closed his eyes and put his fingers to his temple, "I'm getting a strong vibe that the stalker is the person who killed Gillian. But other than that, I'm not getting anything." The Chief nodded.

"We'll run all the notes and gifts through forensics," Lassiter said.

"I dusted them for fingerprints all ready and got nothing," Juliet told them.

Gus knocked at the office door and Karen nodded that he could come in. Juliet sat up straighter and Shawn put his arm back down by his side. "I'm going to go home and grab a quick shower," Shawn said rising to his feet, he placed his hand on Juliet's shoulder. "Unless you want me to stay, 'cause I will."

"I'll be fine, Shawn. You go," she said with a small smile.

"I'll call you later, okay?"

Juliet nodded. Shawn and Gus left the office.

"What happened? She looked terrible. And where are your keys?" Gus asked as they headed to his car.

"I went to her place last night to help calm her down," Shawn started, sounding suspiciously serious. They both got into the car and drove off toward Shawn's.

"I bet you did," Gus said with a smirk.

"Hey man, give me a little credit. She's my friend. I wanted to help her and figure out what was bothering her. I fell asleep on her floor."

"Okay, so where are your keys?" Gus asked and Shawn seemed to have an epiphany.

"Holy stalker, Batman" Shawn quipped.

"You think her stalker has them?" Gus asked.

"Very good possibility, but that means…" Shawn stopped talking. Gus looked over at him.

"What? What does that mean?"

"He walked into the apartment, took my keys and Jules' cat and I never heard a thing," Shawn said quietly. Gus could see the disappointment in his face.

"So, you were tired. You didn't hear him. It happens," Gus said.

"Yeah," Shawn said. Both men rode the next two minutes in silence. After arriving at their destination, they made their way into the building. Shawn was taking two steps at a time up the three flights to his floor. Gus handed him the spare keys and Shawn opened the door and stopped. Gus looked past him.

"What? Go in," Gus scolded.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea. Better call the Chief," Shawn said disturbed. He took a step in to allow Gus to see the ransacked apartment. Scrawled across the wall in bright red letters was, "DON'T MAKE HER IMPURE".

"Damn, you pissed someone off," Gus said, "I'm calling." He pulled out his cell and dialed.

Shawn walked into the bedroom. The quilt had been shredded; the filling and what looked like red paint strewn everywhere. He sighed and turned to the bathroom. The room looked relatively untouched. He reached to pull back the shower curtain and he could hear the music to Psycho in his head. He quickly yanked it back and shrieked at the site. He closed the curtain again and ran out of the bathroom. Gus smacked right into him.

"They're on their way. What happened?" Gus was surprised at Shawn's pale complexion.

"Well, I know were the rest of Willy Mo is," Shawn said flopping down on his sofa.

"Oh…Oh gross," Gus said, "Is sitting there a good idea?"

"Well, it's that or throwing up all over you," Shawn quipped.

"By all means, sit. This is twisted. Now he's after you?"

"No, it's a warning. Jules cannot be alone until we catch this guy," Shawn stood and started pacing. "Someone needs to question geek boy."

"Who?" Gus asked.

"That goofball she went out with, that accountant guy. The one with the awful hair," Shawn said.

"Oh, do I detect a little jealousy?"

"Gus, you goober. Jules is blond, adorable, and funny. Did I say cute? And her smile is like kryptonite, but we're just friends."

"You two can come stay at my place tonight," Gus offered.

"Do you want a crazed stalker knowing where you live?"

Gus paled, "Um, no."

"I didn't think so. I'll take her to my Dad's. He's not coming home until tomorrow night," Shawn said.

Lassiter and Juliet appeared at the open apartment door. "I thought you were going to question Nelson?" Shawn said.

"We were about to bring him in, when Guster called," Lassiter answered, examining the writing on the wall. Juliet stood in the doorway, not wanting to step into the room.

"Lassie, go check out the shower," Shawn whispered and gestured with his head.

"Why?"

"At'scay odybay," Shawn said in pig Latin. Lassiter stared at him blankly and Juliet gasped. Shawn sighed in exasperation and pushed him toward the bathroom.

About a minute later, a very loud, "Sweet justice!" echoed through the apartment.

"Oh, Shawn. I am so sorry," Juliet started.

"No, Jules. None of this is your fault," Shawn said as Lassiter returned to the living room. The forensics team and other officers had begun to arrive.

"We're going to bring Nelson in, _now_. O'Hara, let's go. You two meet us at the station," Lassiter said and left the apartment. The three stunned friends followed after him.

She, Shawn, and Gus stood behind the observational window as Lassiter grilled Roger Nelson. Cole Miller was the officer assigned to stay in the room with the Head Detective.

"The day the flower was left on Detective O'Hara's car, you were seen arguing with her and carrying pink roses. Care to explain that?"

"You are kidding about this. I have better things to do with my time than to harass a woman that clearly doesn't know quality when she sees it," Roger said smugly.

"Have a rather high opinion of yourself, Mr. Nelson?" Miller asked.

"Officer Miller, you are not a part of this interrogation. I suggest you shut up," Lassiter said as he glared at the younger man. Shawn looked at the rookie for a minute, studying him and shook off the strange feeling he had.

"Roger just doesn't seem like the type to do this," Juliet said as she heard Roger telling Lassiter his whereabouts for the last couple of days.

"I don't know, Juliet. He seems a little bitter about you dumping him," Gus said.

"Yeah, buddy, he does, but he's too transparent. Our boy is smart. He'd hide his anger a little better. Jules, do you know that Officer in there?" Shawn asked.

"Sure. That's Cole Miller. He's from the new class. He seems fairly nice. I heard the Chief may move him into the tech squad after his mandatory probation period," she said. Shawn's eyes widened in the realization that maybe he wasn't that far off, but he needed some proof. He turned back to the interrogation.

"Mr. Nelson, let me make myself perfectly clear, this interview is done and you're free to leave, but if you come within five feet of my partner, I will arrest you and lose the paperwork," Lassiter threatened, stood and walked out of the room.

"I've got nothing to hold him on," Lassiter said to Juliet. Roger walked out and looked at Juliet.

"It wasn't enough to humiliate me by dumping me, now you're making up ridiculous charges. You're unbelievable, you pompous bitch. You'll be hearing from my lawyer," Roger spouted. Shawn moved toward the man, but Cole Miller grabbed Nelson by the shirt collar and slammed him into the wall.

"I think you owe the lady an apology," Miller growled.

"It'd be a cold day in hell before that happens," Roger yelled. Juliet and Lassiter pulled Miller off Roger and Roger stalked off yelling about police brutality.

Lassiter yelled at the young officer, "Miller, I'm going to suggest to the Chief that she suspends you for that little act."

"It's more than I saw you three doing for her," Miller whispered angrily. Lassiter looked at him.

"Let's go talk to the Chief now, Miller. Spencer, you stay with O'Hara. Don't let her out of your sight. O'Hara, call me later to check in," Lassiter said.

"Wait, I don't I get a say in this?" Juliet asked.

"No!" was all she heard.

After some convincing and a few stops at his place, her place, and for take-out, Shawn and Juliet arrived at his dad's house. "Are you sure your dad won't mind?" Juliet asked him. He smiled as he used his "key" to open the front door. His dad would never know that he made a copy of the front door key.

"He won't mind at all. Besides, my place is a mess. It's not safe at your place. We're good here."

They settled in at the kitchen table and ate peacefully. They were laughing and making conversation, when they both stopped at the sudden noise. "Did you hear something?" Shawn asked her.

"Yes, on the back porch," she said.

"Wait here," he told her sternly.

"Shawn, I'm the police officer. You're a civilian."

"Jules, stay," he said forcibly and she stepped back at the tone. He slid open the door and stepped onto the porch. He crept to the end of the wood and inched his head out to look for possible intruders. Suddenly, he felt a blow to the side of his head and then the blackness of unconsciousness.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Disturbing Developments

Notes: Well, you all did not disappoint with your guesses of the stalker's identity. Sorry if it was too easy. Still figuring this fiction writing thing out. Oh and just to prove I can't write a story without Henry in it, he makes an appearance in this chapter.

Thanks to Raych K for the wonderful betaing and help with suggestions. You rock girl.

He was mad, madder than he's ever been in his entire existence. How dare they do this to him? He opened the door to his apartment. He was furious. He put his gun on the kitchen counter. Three day suspension. For touching that vile piece of scum. She just watched as he was reprimanded. In a fit of rage, he cleared off the counter with his arm. Dishes, pots, pans, and various other items flew in the air before crashing violently to the ground. Enough was enough. He would take care of Nelson. Then she'd have to decide, him or that idiot Spencer. Either way, Cole Miller would show Juliet who she should be with and Shawn Spencer would not bother him anymore.

Juliet heard the whack, groan, and the sound of a body hitting the porch. She grabbed her pistol off the counter and quickly went outside. There she heard, "Damn it, Shawn!"

"Freeze, SBPD!" she yelled and pointed her gun at the man now standing over Shawn. He put up his hands quickly.

"Whoa, wait officer, this is my house."

"Mr. Spencer?" she asked dropping her pistol, "I'm so sorry. I'm Juliet O'Hara, Detective with the SBPD."

"Nice to meet you, Detective. Care to tell me what you two are doing in my house?"

"Hey, bleeding here," Shawn said from his prone position and they both looked down at him. Henry reached down a hand to help him up. They both steadied him as he wobbly reached his feet.

"Let's get some ice on that. Then you two can tell me what's going on," Henry said.

Twenty minutes later found Shawn lying on the couch, with Juliet inspecting the small cut on his head. With delicate fingers, she carefully put disinfectant on it as Henry entered and sat in a nearby chair. "Ow, ow," Shawn whined.

"Sorry. I think the ice definitely kept the swelling down, but you're going to have a nice bruise on your temple," she said and applied a small bandage. They made eye contact and she looked away shyly.

"So, what else do you know about this guy?" Henry asked and Shawn rolled his eyes. Darn his father for ruining what might have been a fun evening.

Juliet moved from her crouched position next to Shawn's head and sat down by his feet, unconsciously she put her hand to rest on his leg. He smiled and stayed lying down.

"Well, he knows a lot about me: my car, where I live, where I work, and where my desk is," Juliet said.

"He is someone who is familiar with the station. Someone who could spend a lot of time there, but not be noticed," Henry said.

"Or he belongs there," Shawn said. They both turned to look at him. "The Gillian murder was committed by someone on the inside."

"And you had the vision that the stalker was the murderer," Juliet added and Henry shook his head.

"You think he's a cop," Henry said to Shawn. Juliet paled, then stood and started pacing.

"But…why? How could someone that disturbed pass the psychological exam?" she asked. "Oh, shoot. I better call Lassiter. Excuse me." She went outside to make a phone call. Shawn sat up.

"You okay?" Henry asked him after Shawn rubbed his head again.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Good to know you can still take down intruders," Shawn quipped.

"How did you get in here, anyway? I don't remember giving you a key," Henry asked.

"Ah, about that," Shawn started nervously.

"Forget it. Keep the key. I'd rather you have one, then have you breaking a window."

"I thought you weren't coming home until tomorrow."

"Slight change of plans." They both turned to see Juliet come back inside. She looked annoyed.

"What's wrong, Jules?" Shawn asked.

"Carlton put a unit outside to watch the house tonight."

"That's not a bad thing," Henry said.

She put her hands up in frustration. "What is this need for all you men to take care of me? I am not helpless!"

Shawn sat up. "Hey, no one's saying that you are. But Jules, this guy killed a man in a police station full of cops. He broke into your apartment and took your cat and neither one of us noticed. He killed your cat. This guy is a few fries short of a Happy Meal. We could use all the help we can get. We're all just worried about you."

She looked at him and he could see the sorrow in her eyes. He stood, walked over and embraced her. She held onto to him tightly. "I'm sorry."

"Why don't you show Juliet the guest room, Shawn? I'm sure she's tired," Henry said. The pair pulled apart and headed upstairs. Henry checked all the locks and took a quick peek at the police car sitting outside his house. He was constantly amazed at the situations that his son got involved in and who he brought 'home' with him.

Henry headed upstairs just in time to see Shawn hugging Juliet again. He heard her say, "You're doing too much for me and putting yourself in danger."

Shawn must have smiled, because Juliet smiled as well and then kissed him lightly on the cheek. "That's what friends do for one another. Night, Jules."

"Night, Shawn." Shawn walked out and closed the door.

"Hey Dad," Shawn said seeing his father standing in the hallway.

"Shawn, I hope you know what you're doing."

"What exactly does that mean?" Shawn asked, smile fading quickly, replaced with a look of aggravation.

"Don't let your feelings for this girl cloud your judgment, pal. That's all I mean."

"Dad, Jules is my friend and colleague. Nothing is clouding my judgment."

"Uh huh. Sure, Shawn," Henry said with a smirk.

Shawn mouthed, "Stop."

Henry looked at the closed door and said, "Goodnight Detective O'Hara." He held back a chuckle as he watched Shawn's eyes widen in surprise, especially when they heard, "Goodnight Mr. Spencer."

"Night, son," Henry said walking into his room and closing the door.

"Night, Dad." Shawn shook his head as he entered his childhood room. His father always found new ways to piss him off.

Juliet took a shower in the bathroom close to the guest room. She headed downstairs and found Henry sitting at the table. He smiled at her. "Coffee?" he asked her.

"That would be wonderful," she said with a smile, sitting down. "Wow, you didn't need to do all this." She saw the small spread of bagels, muffins and fresh pineapple.

"It wasn't a problem. Besides, I always have the pineapple here or else someone gets a little cranky," Henry said placing a coffee cup on front of her. She grabbed a muffin, when Shawn made an appearance. His hair was still damp. He sat with a cup of coffee and Henry handed him the plate of pineapple. He nodded.

"Not a morning person, huh?" she asked.

"Didn't sleep well. Stupid twin bed," Shawn grumbled. "Hey, can you give me a ride to get my bike?"

"Sure. Are you sure I'll be okay to ride to the station by myself?" Juliet said sarcastically.

Shawn grinned at her, "That's why it's good the boys outside will be tailing you."

Juliet strolled into the station after dropping Shawn off to get his motorcycle from her place. He seemed very reluctant to let her out of his sight, but her police escort had followed her. After a promise to call him, she headed to the station. She sat at her desk and did a quick scan for her partner. Opening her bottom drawer, she dropped her purse in. She logged in the computer and saw five new emails. None of the sender's names looked familiar to her. She opened up the first from, Ivan U. "Oh, sweet Juliet. It pains me so that you and I had this falling out. I will give you one last chance to change your mind. Think about all I've done for you. Mark would still be alive if it wasn't for me." She shivered. The next was from a George Wilson. It was footage of a person who you couldn't see, killing Mark Gillian. She stood up and screamed, "Lassiter!" Her partner stuck his head out of the Chief's office and was about to reprimand her for her yelling. He stopped at her frustrated expression and walked swiftly toward her.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Someone sent me a video of the Gillian murder. I thought the cameras were down," she said.

"What? Who sent it?"

"A George Wilson. Shawn is right. This guy, this stalker is one of us," she said angrily.

Lassiter looked at her in shock. "I agree the Gillian murder was an inside job. But you don't actually buy what Spencer said about the stalker being the murderer?" She showed him the other email. The Chief walked up to them.

"What's going on?" she asked her two detectives.

"Well, it appears our stalker has admitted to the Gillian murder and sent us some video of it. I'm bringing Nelson back in," Lassiter said angrily.

"That may be a challenge," Karen told them and they both looked at her. "I just got a call that he was found dead in his home. You two get over there and I'll have the tech boys check on these emails. It is strange that he changed from the notes to electronic correspondence. Oh and call Mr. Spencer. I want him in on this."

Lassiter sighed and went to get the computer techs. Juliet picked up the phone and waited for him to pick up. "Shawn?"

"Wow, miss me all ready, Jules," he said.

She grinned. "Shawn, Roger Nelson was murdered. Lassiter and I are headed over to his place. Can you and Gus meet us there?"

"Gus has a meeting today, but I'll be there. What's the address?"

Cole Miller walked into the fleet garage. Someone really needed to work on the computer security of the SBPD. He was able to hack in and get his name on the vehicle roster for today. He was surprised that the system didn't kick his name out, due to his suspension. He casually walked into the garage. Sergeant Joe Henson was at the desk.

"Morning, Sarge," he said.

Henson looked up from his computer. "Miller, thought you were working inside and up the ladder, no beat patrols."

"Pissed off the Head Detective, so here I am."

"You pissed off Lassiter. There's only one person I know that can do that and get away with it," Henson said and smiled. "Okay, you have unit 5. West Beach patrol. Have fun," he said handing Miller the keys. Cole couldn't believe he was getting away with this. "Miller, wait!"

Cole turned, even though every instinct told him to run. "Pissing off your superiors is not the way to get ahead around here."

"Thanks Sarge. I'll keep that in mind." Cole smiled and headed toward the car. He had a schedule to keep.

Shawn had pulled his motorcycle out of the Psych parking lot and onto the road. He was taking the back roads to Roger Nelson's place because even though the morning rush had subsided to school traffic was still on the road. He was coasting along enjoying the view when he heard a siren behind him. He checked the mirror and saw one of Santa Barbara's finest. Okay he was going a little fast, but come on. "Won't they be embarrassed," he thought. He pulled onto the shoulder and got off his bike. He reached back to get his wallet when there was a hand on his arm pulling him and slamming him onto the hood of the cruiser.

"What the hell?" he yelled. His arms were yanked behind him and he was cuffed. "Don't I get to hear the charges first?"

"There aren't any charges, Mr. Spencer," the cold voice said to him as the back door of the car was opened.

"Cole Miller," he said out loud before he felt a blow to the head. "I really wish people would stop doing that," was his last thought before he blacked out.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Meet Creepy McCreeperson

Juliet and Lassiter climbed out of the car in front of Roger Nelson's home. There were several officers all ready there to secure the scene. The scene that greeted the partners was horrific. Roger Nelson's hands had been bound in front of him, his throat was slit right at the vocal fold, and his tongue was missing. "This one's a beaut, Detectives," John Maloney from Crime Scenes told them.

"How so?" Juliet asked.

"Male, early thirties. His throat was slit and then his tongue was removed. We haven't found it yet."

"Well, keep looking," Lassiter said.

"There's also a message on the kitchen, written in the vic's blood," John continued, ignoring the Head Detective.

"Thanks John," Juliet said and John walked off to collect more evidence.

Juliet and Lassiter moved into the kitchen. Scrawled on the table was "He should have held his tongue".

"Do you think this was the work of the stalker, Carlton?"

"Looks that way, Detective," Lassiter said softly.

"Where is Shawn?" Juliet thought to herself and then her phone rang. "Be right back," she said to her partner and she went outside to answer the call.

Shawn woke to a terrible ache in his wrists, a burning sharp pain. He turned his still groggy eyes up. His wrists were tied together above his head to some sort of pipe in the ceiling. He tugged to see how secure they were and yelped. He squinted up in the semi-darkness. Barbed wire was entwined with the rope that lashed his wrists together. "Perfect," he thought, "Where am I and how the hell did I get here?" The last thing he remembered was Miller stopping and cuffing him. "Holy crap," he thought and suddenly lights turned on it the room.

"Shawn, welcome," a voice said coming toward him.

"Miller, what do you want?"

"Come on psychic, you haven't figured it out yet? I thought you were the best Santa Barbara had to offer?" Cole Miller came into view. "Sorry about tying you up, seems I need it to keep you in one place for a little while. Hope you don't mind the barb wire. That's a little pay back for trying to get in on my action."

"Dude, there's plenty of action in this town for all of us, man," Shawn said with a smirk.

"No, Shawn, I meant pretty Juliet," he said walking around Shawn over to a table. Shawn tried to look over his shoulder to see what Miller was up to.

"You, you're her stalker. I knew it. But you're a cop," Shawn said rapidly putting it all together.

"Yes, now hush," he said reaching around Shawn's head to put a gag in his mouth and tying it behind his head. "It's just until I call my precious and bring her here." Miller chuckled at Shawn's muffled protests. "Now let me borrow your phone," Miller said reaching into Shawn's front jeans pocket, earning him a glare and a kick to the shin. Miller slapped him hard across the face. "Shawn, I wouldn't be pissing me off any more than you all ready have, besides we'll have plenty of time to play." Shawn glared at him again and shook his head slightly to clear it. Miller opened the phone. "Oh, imagine that. She's in the contacts list." He pressed dial. "Let's put her on speaker, huh buddy?"

Shawn paled as he heard the ringing. He started pulling at his bound hands again. It hurt like hell, but the pipe he was tied to looked weak. Then, "Shawn, where are you? We're at Roger's house. He's dead. Shawn?" Shawn tried screaming through the gag, but the sound didn't travel very far.

"Oh, sweet Juliet. What a pleasure it is to hear your lovely voice," Miller said calmly.

"Who is this? Why do you have Shawn's phone?"

"Listen to me, precious. If you tell anyone else about this call, I will slit Shawn's throat right now. It'll make Roger's death look dull. You don't want that, do you?"

Juliet's rapid breathing was all they heard. Shawn started yelling again, but all that could be heard was mumbling. Miller punched him hard in the stomach. The muffled groan could be heard by Juliet. "It's you. The man whose been stalking me. You want me, not him. Let him go. I'll do whatever you want," she said nervously.

"We're at the abandoned Kitty Club on East Mason Avenue down by West Beach. And don't tell that nice partner of yours, I will know if the police are notified. After all we're brothers in blue. Hurry darling. Shawn and I are so anxious to see you," Miller said and hung up the phone. He looked over at Shawn. "Now we have some time to kill. Shall we have some fun? No, that's fun for me, not so much for you, I'm afraid." Shawn shivered slightly at the dark look in Cole's eyes.

Juliet hung up her cell phone quickly. She was in a panic. The lunatic had Shawn and was using him as bait to get her. She opened her phone again. The stalker said he was a brother in blue, he was a cop. She froze. The voice was familiar, but she couldn't place it. Cole Miller? It was Miller. She ran to the car, got in and took off. Lassiter would strangle her for this, but she wouldn't risk Shawn's life. She drove toward the destination. Finally a plan came to her. "Gus!" she yelled, grabbing her phone and dialing his number.

"Burton Guster," he answered.

"Gus, it's Juliet," she said rapidly.

"Hiya, Juliet. Looking…"

"Gus, hush. Shawn's in trouble. The guy who's stalking me has him. Cole Miller. I have to meet them at the old Kitty Club on Mason."

"Cole Miller is the stalker, as in Officer Cole Miller. And he has Shawn? So everyone's on the way there now?" Gus asked.

"No, Gus. He said if I call for help, he'll kill Shawn. I need you to get Lassiter there. No big SWAT rescue. I'll do what I can, but please I need your help. He's going to kill Shawn."

"Okay, where's Lassiter now?" Gus asked and Juliet explained.

"Be careful, Juliet."

Miller untied the gag from behind his head. Shawn took a deep breath.

"I swear if you so much as touch a hair on her head…" Shawn stared, glaring fiercely at his captor. Miller chuckled as he picked up a bat. He rubbed his hand up and down the bat.

"Did you know that Juliet bought this bat at the Louisville slugger factory in Kentucky?" Miller said to Shawn. Shawn furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Why do you know that?" Shawn asked quietly and in slight shock.

"It's in one of her journals. They are quite the fascinating read. Think she might be starting to have a thing for you though," he said calmly as he walked behind Shawn. Shawn tried to turn to look, when suddenly the bat collided with his right ribcage. He tried to stifle the scream of pain both from his side and the jolt to his wrists. Miller chuckled and walked around to face him.

"So, what were we talking about?" Miller asked.

Panting, Shawn said, "Oo, tough guy. Feel good beating me up, when I can't defend myself?"

"Shawn, you may not be a cop, but you are the son of one," Miller said.

"I know what you're the son of," Shawn retorted and was rewarded with a blow to the knee with the bat. "Aaaaahhhh!"

"Shut up! Before you know it Juliet, or as you call her, Jules will be here. And then you'll have very little time to live."

"Don't you call her that!" Shawn said angrily as he tried to tug on his hands again. The pain was excruciating, maybe it was his imagination but that pipe seemed to give a little. When it didn't work, he tried desperately to kick Miller with his good leg. Miller expertly dodged the blow and chuckled.

"You know what," Miller said, standing right in front of his captive, looking him directly in the eyes. "I'm going to allow you to live. Long enough to watch me have my way with my Juliet. Will that make you mad, psychic boy? Me doing everything you wish you could."

Shawn grinned at Miller and the stalker looked slightly disturbed for a moment. "Cole, buddy, hate to break this to you, but that woman will kick your scrawny ass," Shawn said smugly and head butted the cop. Miller stepped back stunned. He shook off the blow quickly.

"Shawn, my friend, I bribed a two-bit arms dealer to whisper a sweet nothing in her ear. You know, induce a little panic. Panicked people make mistakes," Miller said, enjoying the look of horror on Shawn's face.

"Then you slit his throat for attacking Jules?" Shawn asked and then it all fit, "You caused the computer glitch and used your keys to get in. You knew the guard would be distracted, so you snuck in and killed him. He didn't yell when he saw you because he knew you."

"He wasn't supposed to lay a hand on her. He needed to be punished," Miller said with an eerie coldness in his voice. "Are you sensing a theme here, Shawn?"

"Wait, she and I are just friends. Would I mind if something more came of it? No, of course…" the rest was cut of by a scream of pain as Miller hit his ribcage again with the bat. Shawn squeezed his eyes shut and panted in pain.

"What about Nelson?" Shawn croaked.

"Come on, you heard what he called her. It was inevitable. He had to die, just like you do."

"I have never said or done a rude thing to Jules. Maybe I said something slightly off-color, but man you've seen…OW!" Miller hit him again with the bat. "Dude, I am so tired of that."

They both froze when they heard sound of a door creaking open. "Jules, run! Get out!" Shawn yelled. Miller heard the sound of a round being chambered. He pulled out his own weapon and trained it on Shawn's head.

"Juliet, my sweet, dropping your weapon would be a good idea," Miller called to the figure he saw approaching in the dark. "Unless you'd like to see Mr. Spencer's brains scattered all over this place."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Facing Off

Gus stopped the "Blueberry" at SBPD headquarters. He ran up the front stairs rapidly. He quickly scanned the main squad room for Detective Lassiter, and upon finding him he yelled in his best Shawn impression, "Lassie!" Lassiter's head whirled around with a look of aggravation on his face; that look morphed into confusion when he saw Gus. Gus ran over to the Head Detective. "I need to talk to you…alone," Gus said rapidly. Lassiter's one eyebrow raised in confusion. "It's about Juliet," Gus continued.

"Okay. Let's go in the conference room," Lassiter said, leading the way. He closed the door after Gus entered. Lassiter crossed his arms and waited for the other man to start. Gus was pacing. "So, what about my partner? She took off from the Nelson residence in my car and she won't answer my calls. I'm having the car traced."

"She called me."

"She what?" Lassiter said loudly.  
"Just listen. Cole Miller is the stalker. He has Shawn at the abandoned Kitty Club on East Mason Avenue down by West Beach. He called her and told her to meet him there or he'll kill Shawn. She asked me to come get you. He'd know of any calls that came in. He also killed Gillian and Nelson."

Lassiter stared into space for a minute, "He must have hacked into the computer system." Lassiter looked at Gus, "She went there alone, without back-up."

"She didn't think there was time to waste. We have to go to help them," Gus said.

"Fine, but I need to fill in the Chief. We'll go in silent with a few officers that are in the station. I don't want to alert Miller. Let's go Guster," Lassiter said leaving the room. Gus stood frozen in place for a moment surprised that Lassiter told him to come along. "Now Guster!" Lassiter bellowed shaking Gus from his funk.

Her gun was trained on him and she stared angrily at him. This man had terrorized her. He had killed two men and her cat. Now he was holding her good friend at gunpoint after apparently beating him. She wanted to know why. Was _she_ the only reason that they were killed? And now Shawn was in danger because he was helping her? She squared her shoulders and stared at Cole Miller over her gun. "Why are you doing this?" she asked.

"Juliet, I've been trying to protect you," Cole said.

"Dude, you are seriously twisted," Shawn quipped. Cole and Juliet didn't acknowledge him, and he continued to struggle, pain ripping through his wrists as the barbed wire dug deeper into his skin. Groping the floor with his feet he suddenly felt something move against his heel. He glanced down and saw the bat Cole had been using earlier and an idea struck him. Now if he could just get his arms free.

"You killed two men to protect me from what? You were the one who left notes on my car, in my desk, in my _house_. You broke into my home and you killed my cat. What I need protection from is _you_," Juliet said angrily.

"Mark Gillian was only supposed to torment you a little bit, not hurt you," Cole said quietly.

"You told him to say that. You were trying to catch me off guard."

"Roger Nelson said horrible things to you and he was going to file a formal complaint against you, darling. I was just guarding your career," Cole said.

"Why did you kill my cat?" she asked angrily.

"Juliet, you know why I did that," Cole said coldly.

"You're a few sandwiches short of a picnic," Shawn said.

"Maybe I'll just kill Shawn right now," Cole said with a smile as he clicked off the safety. Shawn started tugging slightly at his wrists again.

"I'm here. What do you want Miller?" she asked.

"I want us to be together. I have plans for us, sweet Juliet. Let's run away together," Cole said with a smile.

Juliet stared at Cole, and then she looked at Shawn. He knew what she was thinking as she looked at him. He shook his head no slightly. "Cole, if you let Shawn go, I'll go with you," she said softly, not making eye contact with Shawn.

Lassiter pulled the car to a stop in front of the abandoned building. The two other police cars stopped next to them. Gus opened the car door and stepped outside. "Guster, put this on," Lassiter said throwing him a vest. Gus looked up at him with wide, fearful eyes. "Even though you're staying out here, I want you to wear it."

"Oh, thanks. I was worried that you were, never mind," Gus said relieved.

Lassiter spoke to the other officers, "Okay people, we go in quiet. The perp is one of our own, Miller. We think he has Spencer hostage. O'Hara is in there too. We need to use extreme caution; our perp is armed and dangerous." Lassiter gave orders and the teams moved out.

Shawn's eyes went wide, fear turning in his stomach. "No, no way Jules," Shawn said with a tremor in his voice. Juliet wouldn't look at him. Cole seemed to be pondering the idea.

"Put down your weapon first," the stalker said.

"No Cole. You cut Shawn down first. He walks out of this room and then I'll hand over the gun," she said calmly. She was working very hard to control her legs from shaking. This plan was risky and she hadn't gotten past the 'get Shawn out of here' part yet. She could feel Shawn looking at her. He was probably trying to tell her not to do this, but she had no other choice. No one else would die at Miller's hand, especially not someone she cared about.

"Jules," Shawn said warningly as he saw some sort of determination in her eyes. He could only hope she had some sort of plan. He moved his foot and placed the bat to lean against the one foot with the other on top of it. Cole looked at him and their eyes locked. Cole grinned at him and Shawn glared back.

"Okay Juliet. I'll let him go. Then you and I leave here together," Cole said to her and she nodded. He turned to Shawn, "Well, Psychic Boy, she wants to leave with me. Guess you have to go." Cole reached his arm around his back and pulled out a pair of wire cutters with his left hand, still clutching the gun in his right.

"Well, Crazy Boy, some how I doubt that she really wants anything to do with you," Shawn said eyes never leaving Juliet. She still wouldn't look at him.

"Awww, he's jealous," Cole said as he snipped through the wire and the rope tying Shawn to the pipe above.

"Oh yeah, I'm jealous of a man who gets a date at gunpoint," Shawn said. He hissed as he brought his sore arms down and tried to free his still bound hands. Cole looked tempted to hit him, but took a step toward Juliet.

"I cut him down, now your weapon, my sweet," Cole said extending his arm toward her, forgetting all about the other person in the room. She kept her eyes trained on him, but in her peripheral vision she saw Shawn reaching down for something. Juliet lowered her gun and turned the butt of the weapon toward Cole. Cole smiled as he stepped closer to her. "Good girl. Now hand it to me and we can begin our life together." Chills ran down her spine as her hand touched his when he took her gun.

She gasped as her heard the sound of wood hitting skull and Cole Miller fell to the ground. Her eyes followed his descent to the floor and then looked up at Shawn. He had a huge grin on his face. "I don't think so, nut job."

"Nice swing, batter," she said kicking the weapons away from Cole. She inched toward Shawn as he dropped the bat. The door to the room flew up and they both turned around.

"Freeze!" Lassiter bellowed as he and the other officers stormed in.

"Your timing needs some work, Lassie," Shawn said sarcastically, "We did all the hard work all ready."

"Shut up, Spencer," Lassiter said as he went to cuff Miller. Juliet turned back to Shawn.

"Are you okay?" she asked as she embraced him. His grin got bigger as he hugged looped her in with his arms and leaned on her a little.

"Oh, I'll live. Especially if you keep hugging me," he told her. She laughed.

"Let me see your hands," she said, wincing at the cuts and blood. She grabbed the wire cutters and snipped him loose.

"Ow, ow, ow," he groaned as she removed the barbed wire and his hands were free.

"Stop being a baby," she teased. "I'm sorry I got you mixed up in this," she said seriously.

He smiled at her. "I'm just glad he didn't hurt you at all." She hugged him again.

"Ow, not so tight, Jules," Shawn said and smiled.

"Sorry. Let's get you to the hospital," she said wrapping an arm around his waist. He put his arm around her shoulder.

"Lead away," he said, limping slowly to the door.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The End

Juliet helped the hobbling Shawn walk slowly out of the building to the waiting ambulance. Gus ran over when he saw the pair. "Shawn! Are you all right? You look terrible, man."

"Thanks buddy. Good to see you too," Shawn quipped as Juliet helped him sit down on the gurney. The EMTs immediately started to take his vitals and check on his injuries. Gus looked at Juliet.

"Are you okay?" he asked her clearly concerned.

"Yes, Gus. I'm fine. Unfortunately, he took the brunt of the abuse," she said sadly as she gazed over at Shawn. Both Gus and Juliet looked up as Lassiter and a few other officers lead Miller out in hand cuffs.

"Well, at least he won't hurt anyone again for a while," Gus said.

"Let's hope not," Juliet said. The suspect was loaded in the car and Lassiter motioned for Juliet to come over.

"Either of you riding with Shawn?" one of the paramedics asked.

"You go with him Gus. I have to speak to Lassiter. I'll see you both at the hospital."

"Okay. Bye Juliet," Gus said.

"Bye, Gus." Juliet walked over to the gurney. She looked down at Shawn.

"I'll see you later," she said softly as she gently touched his arm.

"Bye, Jules," he said and as she started to walk away he added, "Thanks for coming."

She turned to look at him and smiled. "Sure," she said and she walked back toward Lassiter.

Shawn was in the hospital for two days before he was released. Juliet did come to check on him that first night, but Shawn was out of it due to painkillers. Then he spent two lecture filled days at his Dad's house. He was hoping that the guilt from the blow to the head would have lasted a little bit longer, but there was no way Henry Spencer would pass up an opportunity to lecture a captive audience.

The one bright spot he kept hoping for was that Juliet would call or stop by. All he knew was that she hadn't been back or hadn't called since that night. What happened? Did he do something? No, not that he remembered. She was feeling guilty. He knew it and he had a plan. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Gus' number. "Gus, pick me up at my Dad's. I need a ride."

Juliet sat on her couch, dressed in sweats and lounged watching the television. She operated on auto-pilot the last four days. She desperately wanted to see Shawn or call him, but every time she reached for the phone she stopped. The guilt for his injuries was eating at her. How could she look him in the eye when it was her fault for what happened? He had called her once, but she let it go to voice mail. It was Saturday. No work to distract her. Mookie was curled up at her feet. She sighed as she flipped through the channels for the tenth time. There was a knock at the door. She got up and walked toward the door. She peeked through the peep hole and didn't see anyone. Opening the door slowly with the security chain still latched, she looked out again and then she heard a soft meow. Looking down she saw a pet carrier with an envelope on top of it, she closed the door and unlatched the chain, and opened the door again. She reached down for the note with a shaking hand. It read: Dear Jules, A very handsome young man with awesome hair purchased me for you. He is very sweet and you should definitely stop ignoring him. My name is Wembley, by the way. He said you'd understand why. Your new pet, Wembley. P.S. He is over by the little blue car. She grinned and looked up. There was the familiar little blue car by the street. Shawn was leaning on the passenger side of the car and Gus was next to him. Shawn waved and gestured for her to open up the crate. Picking up the small box and inside she saw a small calico cat. She laughed and walked toward the car.

When she got close he said, "Do you like him?"

She chuckled, "It's a she, Shawn. All Calicos are female."

He looked puzzled and glanced at Gus. "Did you know that?"

"Yes, I did. Animal Planet," Gus said with a smile.

"Well, it's not like I checked out all her parts," Shawn said, "So, why are you ignoring me?"

She blushed slightly. "I'll wait in the car," Gus said.

Juliet walked closer to Shawn and looking down, she said, "I'm sorry, but I didn't know what to say. I wasn't sure how to apologize."

"Hey," he waited until she looked up at him, "You had nothing to apologize for. You didn't do anything wrong. Jules, I don't blame you for any of this. Besides, I'm fine. The most pain was listening to my dad for two days. And you can make it better if you hug me." He held out his arms.

She chuckled and stepped into the hug. After a minute, she moved back. "So do you two want to come in? We can order a pizza."

"Sounds like fun," he bent down and waved for Gus to come out. When Gus got out, Shawn said, "Jules invited us for in for pizza. You coming?"

"You two go ahead. I have some things to catch up on," Gus said with a smile. Shawn grinned at him and turned back to Juliet.

"Looks like it's just us," Shawn said. She smiled and the pair headed inside. Gus chuckled as he heard Shawn say, "So little boy cat was a girl. Does Buzz know?"

THE END


End file.
